Presidential Reconstruction
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Andrew Johnson succeeded to the presidency of the United States upon the death of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson inherited a country still divided from the war, and in the face of this he tried to continue the policies of Lincoln with regard to Reconstruction and the revival of the South. As the war ended, Lincoln faced the question of what to do with the states of the defeated Confederacy, an issue that elicited sharp disagreement among Northerners. Some felt that these states should make voters as well as freedmen of their slaves, and Lincoln said the important thing was to get these states back in their proper place in the Union. Lincoln was assassinated before he could do anything at all about the states of the Old South. Andrew Johnson, his successor, gave assurances that he would carry on with Lincoln's Reconstruction program, though he also gave the impression that he would deal more harshly than Lincoln would have with rebel leaders. The murder of Lincoln only added to that attitude. Johnson was opposed by many in Congress, and in an attempt to generate support for his policies he undertook what became known as the "Swing Around the Circle" in 1866, and he was received differently in different states. An examination of records from journals and writings from Kentucky will serve as a means of comparing how Johnson was received in that state as opposed to other states. Presidential Reconstruction was exemplified first by Lincoln and then by Johnson. The intent wa
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as too lenient on rebels. When Johnson became president, the Radicals became increasingly hostile to Johnson's Lincoln-like program for reestablishing governments and restoring Southern states. In December 1865, the Republicans barred members-elect from Southern states and created the Joint Committee on Reconstruction to investigate conditions in the South and to recommend policy toward those states. This investigation gave congressional leaders time to reflect on what policy to pursue.
In January 1866, Johnson insisted on the legality of "restored" Southern state governments and on their "right" to representation in Congress, and congressional leaders flatly denied that such rights existed. Many congressmen were expressing growing concern over the condition of the freedmen, and bills were introduced to extend the life of the Freedmen's Bureau and as a civil rights bill. The Freedmen's Bureau had been providing needed services in the war-torn South by distributing rations, supervising wage contracts, relocating freedmen, and establishing schools and hospitals. It was an arm of the War Department and even had its own courts to settle disputes. Johnson vetoed the Freedmen's Bureau bill and shocked the congressional leaders
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1967
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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